Aereopagitica: Thursday 10-5 PM [3-29-07]

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana opened the store and got everything set up for any customers who might come in.  She settled down to try to focus on her homework, but she was a little nervous about meeting with Mr. Phale which made concentration difficult.

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[a-phale.livejournal.com]

True to his word, Aziraphale showed up at the bookstore late Thursday morning, with a small box of brownies in hand. Giving Lana a smile as he came through the door, he set the box on the counter.

"Good morning, my dear. Do you know anyone around here who might like some homemade brownies?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana smiled brightly at him. "Oh, thank you so much," she said happily. "You are so thoughtful!"

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"Well, I did promise to supply you now and again," Aziraphale replied with a chuckle.

"Now, what is that I can do for you, Miss Lang?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"You did," Lana agreed. "And I truly appreciate it. And I know Jim does too. It makes him worry less if he sees me eating."

She took a deep breath. "Last year while you were gone, Angel got really sick and the only thing that could help him was the blood from people who in their world were "Chosen Ones". And I turned out to be one. I'd overheard Lex, my guardian, saying something about my being one and saying something about a prophecy that involved me. I couldn't exactly ask him about it - and I know he would have lied about it anyway, but I've been thinking about it a lot."

She paused, biting her lip. "Ms. Calendar said I might be able to find out something if I went into Special Collections because there are a lot of books about prophecies there, but then... things got crazy and I didn't think about it till recently."

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"Really? That's quite interesting, my dear. And certainly something I think you ought to do a bit of research on." Aziraphale nodded emphatically, always keen on promoting research, especially if it was likely to help a person understand herself a little better. "Do you need a pass into Special Collections?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana nodded. "I think that would be helpful. I could go in tomorrow before class and see what I could find. Though, the idea of going into Special Collections does scare me a little." She smiled a little nervously.

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"I have heard some interesting stories," Aziraphale admitted, as he produced a piece of paper and a pen to write out the note. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to be very careful about what books you pick up? You know, check them carefully before you open them, don't read anything aloud, that sort of thing. And tell someone right when you're going, so that they'll know if something happens and you get stuck."

He looked up from his writing and smiled at Lana. "Don't worry, my dear. I promise, if anything happens, we'll come straight away and rescue you."

Then he handed her the requested note, which read:

Please allow Lana Lang access to the Special Collections section of the library for research purposes. I will assume responsibility for her presence there.

Professor Aziraphale

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana nodded and carefully tucked the pass away. "Thank you," she said seriously. "I'll do that. And I think I'll go in as soon as the library opens tomorrow. I have class just before lunch, so if I'm not there for that, I'm sure someone will notice. And I'll tell Jim, of course."

She grinned at him. "Hopefully you won't need to swoop in and rescue me from the man-eating books!"

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I very much hope not!" he agreed, chuckling. "Although man-eating books are a ploy I wish I'd thought of back when I was trying to keep people out of my shop back in Soho. I do think I tried just about everything else."

Aziraphale gave Lana a warm smile. "James is out feeding the ducks in the park, which I should probably rescue him from soon. But he'd lecture me if I didn't ask after you first."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana grinned at him. "That would have been a bit drastic, now, wouldn't it?" she teased.

"And I'm doing well. Really well." She hesitated. "I mean, I'm still on the too thin side, but I'm eating well and I don't feel quite so much as if all of my clothes are threatening to fall off or swamp me."

[a-phale.livejournal.com]

"I'm very glad to hear that, and I know James will be as well."

Aziraphale tucked the pen back inside his jacket and smiled. "Give Mr Ellison my best, my dear. I'd better run on and rescue James from the ducks, but I do promise next time I'll stay longer and we'll have tea."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Thank you, Mr. Phale," Lana said with a smile. "And I'll look forward to you staying and having tea next time."